Olga Peretyatko: “After Accademia Rossiniana you are no longer afraid of anything! Olga Peretyatko: “I go on stage like a bullfighter at a bullfight. Peretyatko is an opera singer.

Olga Peretyatko Photo: Ivan Kaidash/"Snob"

She has the perfect figure of a fashion model. Jet black hair flowing over the shoulders. Slavic clearly defined cheekbones and stern, unsmiling eyes. Before each performance, she always eats a piece of meat. “You can’t go on stage hungry,” explains Olga, “otherwise you won’t last three acts.”

Great opera artists have their secrets and professional secrets. Someone breathes using a special technique. Some remain silent for days on end, giving their cords a rest, while others sing before the performance so loudly that the crystal in the theater chandelier begins to ring. And Olga Peretyatko silently eats steak. I imagine her performing sacred acts in absolute silence. No side dish or extraneous, distracting conversations: a woman alone with a piece of tenderloin. Filet mignon. Medium done. And even better with blood.

I think there's something incredibly exciting about it. Just like the way she goes on stage, rustling the long train of her Yulia Yanina outfit. How he glares at the conductor, how he joins the orchestra, how he hits the highest and most complex notes without visible effort, as if he barely touches the switch with his beautiful hand and - voila! It immediately becomes light. No wonder one of her most famous albums is called “Russian Light”. This is exactly how Olga Peretyatko sings. There is light in the voice, and a whirlwind in the eyes.

She is, of course, Carmen. Temperament, dark, dark-haired beauty, some kind of inner rigidity and cat-like flexibility. I see her dancing barefoot, like Elena Obraztsova once did on the Bolshoi stage. I hear the guttural cry of L’amour est un oiseau rebelle, and all this French love languor, and burning jealousy, and the recitative of curses, and death with the taste of real blood from Jose’s fake dagger. It seems that Georges Bizet composed all this especially for her. I can imagine how stunned Olga was when the vocal teachers said that they should forget about the legendary gypsy for now. Her voice is not yet ripe for habanera. Olga’s voice is still light, high, transparent - a lyric soprano. Her range is from Lyubasha in The Tsar's Bride to Adina in Elixir of Love. All the heroines of Rossini, all the queens of Donizetti, all the nightingales of Alyabyev, Stravinsky and Rimsky-Korsakov - this, of course, is her. And the first, instant association is the purest nightingale trills. Olga even had a dream. If mezzo-soprano roles cannot be performed yet, shouldn’t she prepare a special album consisting entirely of arias and nightingale songs? But the bosses of Sony Classical, after consulting, decided that this was too bold a project that did not promise them sales and commercial benefits. Let Olga sing Gilda or her Rossini better. A proud woman, she did not argue. She is hiding, waiting for her “nightingale” hour.

The life of an opera singer has taught me that there is no need to fuss. That is, at first, perhaps, it is necessary - to learn the most complex parts in three days and three nights, to agree to risky substitutions at the last moment, to undertake any experiment so that they will notice, hear, and remember her complex, almost unpronounceable Ukrainian name.

Olga is sure: fate itself will lead you where you need to go. For some reason, I once brought her together with Anna Netrebko on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater, when she was still singing in a children's choir, and Netrebko was already a rising star. And today, to the question: “How was it?” Olga replies with a dazzling smile: “We adored her.” In the music world in the West, it is not customary to tease colleagues. The prima donna must be flawless, like Caesar's wife. In addition, Olga is sure that all bad thoughts and words come back to you.

- This is my karma. As soon as I say something wrong, or even think, I immediately get a ricochet on the head.

Since childhood, her idol was the great Joan Sutherland. A voice from a black vinyl record called to transcendental distances and unattainable heights. Only angels can sing like that. At some point, the divine soprano materialized in the form of a tall, majestic lady who sat on the jury of the opera competition in which Olga participated for the first time. Then she became a laureate in the “children’s” group under 23 years old. Two years later, Joan appeared on her horizon again. This time in the stalls at Meyerbeer's opera Semiramide, which her husband conducted.

“We were seized with wild panic when we found out that Sutherland herself was in the hall. After the performance, she came to us backstage and said a few encouraging words. I really regret that I didn’t hear her live. But from the recordings today I can imagine what a huge, simply incredible voice it was. After all, she started with Wagner and only then switched to the Italian soprano repertoire. No one else had top notes like hers.

Olga pronounces this with the inimitable intonation of a professional, capable of soberly assessing the capabilities and work of another. And although she resolutely rejects any parallels with Sutherland, some factual similarities in life plots are obvious: the transition from mezzo to lyric soprano, husbands as conductors, success in Rossini’s operas. It seems!

Olga Peretyatko Photo: Ivan Kaidash/"Snob"

But at the same time, Olga herself is least inclined to admire and rejoice at her triumphs. On the contrary, no matter what you talk about, it wasn’t right, it wasn’t right, it wasn’t ideal.

- Is it ever ideal? - I ask. - When could you say that it worked!

- Never to myself. I remember Rolando Villazon once told my colleague during rehearsals: “Enjoy yourself while you are young and brash.” This is a special state when you have nothing to lose, no one knows you and, by and large, no one expects anything: if you sing, it’s good, if you don’t sing, it’s also not a disaster. When you go on stage with this feeling, then, strangely enough, a lot of things happen. There is such a frantic rush of adrenaline, unimaginable freedom appears that you forget where you are, what you are. The wave carries you. But this cannot last long. Once you have already reached a certain level of fame and skill, you need to confirm your success every time. They look at you differently, they listen to your voice completely differently. You feel this wary, impregnable hall, which you can no longer take with one jerk, pressure, courage. And a lot more is needed.

- What exactly? What's most important?

- Sincerity. Over the years, it becomes more and more difficult to find it in yourself. Yes, of course, you should try to sing as if this was your last performance or last concert. But at the same time, the thought still haunts you that life is long and there will be a lot of things ahead. And somehow you need to be able to calculate strength and emotions. In fact, this is what you never stop learning throughout your life.

Olga loves multi-thousand halls. The very thought that thousands of eyes are looking at her is an incomparable stimulus for her. This was the case at performances in the Arena di Verona, where 20 thousand people applauded her, and this was the case at the grand concert on July 14 in Paris, where she sang a duet from Delibes with the Latvian diva Elina Garanča against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower. And this combination of rough iron and the most tender female voices made a stunning impression. Then it was watched by 4 million people around the world. The point here is not only some kind of gigantomania. Olga is simply not a chamber singer by nature. Despite all the meticulous care in finishing each batch, she does not strive to be a virtuoso of small forms. She feels cramped in the concert space. She loves space and scope. She knows how to tame the orchestra and choir with her voice. She's good at it. She would like boots and a whip. And everyone strives to dress her in the kokoshnik of “The Tsar’s Bride” or Rosina’s apron.

By the way, she sang “The Bride” for the first time not just anywhere, but at La Scala. It was a special experience. A theater where they don’t know your face and don’t want to remember your name. Why on earth? You're not Maria Callas! A theater where from the first minutes everyone tries to show you your place - no further than the entrance. Where you have to prove to everyone around the clock - from the chief conductor to the last costume designer - that you are worth something and can do something. And at the premiere, they might get bogged down, angrily knocking their heels on the floor, and you’ll stand there with a plastered smile on your face, not knowing how to behave.

— Did you manage to stand at the Callas point, where they say the best acoustics are?

— There are two of them: Callas point on the left and Tebaldi point on the right. At Tsarskaya we were not allowed there. Mitya Chernyakov built his mise-en-scène in such a way that we sang in the background all the way, but when I was invited to Rossini, I, of course, rushed there in the hope that finally everyone would hear how wonderful I am.

- Is it really the best sound?

“You can’t really understand it from the stage.” From my own experience I can confirm that the acoustics at La Scala are very uneven. But when you go on stage, you shouldn't think about acoustics. For what? You already have enough problems. You still sing the same everywhere - both at the Arena di Verona, and at the Vyborgsky Palace of Culture, and at the Bolshoi Theater. The Germans have an expression that in Russian literally sounds like “the voice is sitting” or “the voice is not sitting.” If you have caught your point, if you feel the resonance and exist internally in some kind of correct balance, then you can be heard from everywhere. You don't have to choke or scream with all your might. On the contrary, it only gets in the way. But life has taught us: if everything is not to your liking, it’s inconvenient, it’s uncomfortable, then you’re doing something wrong. Think, sort out your voice and condition and start all over again.

Olga Peretyatko Photo: Ivan Kaidash/"Snob"

The lifestyle of an opera diva today is different from what it was 50-40 years ago. The pathos of grand entrances, limousines and complex images has long gone out of fashion. For what? Previously, one suitcase was enough for Olga, now, if the tour lasts for several months, she takes two with her. Her whole life is in them, passing in endless transitions from one airport terminal to another, in an intricate labyrinth of hotel corridors, in the hermetic silence of faceless, identical rooms, which she knows how to inhabit and make like home for at least two nights. Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Madrid, Brussels, New York...

-Where is your house?

- Everywhere. There is a house in Pesaro, but my husband and I spend no more than a month a year there. There is also an apartment in Berlin. But I forgot the last time I was there. Nomadic, solitary life. There is no other one and is not yet in sight, so we must try to be at home everywhere.

Olga’s husband, Italian Mariotti, whose last name she took for herself, is a successful and sought-after conductor. From the very beginning, they both decided that each had their own career. No one ever puts forward conditions that the wife must sing or the husband conduct. If it works out, good; if not, you can always take a plane ticket and fly for two days to the city where your other half is touring.

- But no family routine, we have been married for five years, and these spontaneous romantic weekends together are like gifts of fate.

Happiness is rarely planned. Recently, when Olga flew to Moscow, it turned out that someone had mixed up the dates and she had a whole free day without rehearsals, which she could spend without getting out of bed. For her this is real luxury. But she is not able to lie for a long time, looking at the TV or the ceiling. I covered myself with Rossini's scores and my own notes about the legendary conductor Alberto Zedda, and began to prepare for the lecture. She came up with the idea that at her evening as part of the Grand Festival of the Russian National Orchestra she would not only sing, but also talk. An evening of memories and at the same time a concert of those arias that she once prepared with the maestro. She likes to teach, she likes to show. She always knows how to do it. Over the years, I could become a great teacher. Olga already has several students.

- I only have girls for now. And I work exclusively with voices in my range. Here I am sure that I can be of help. In our business as doctors, the main thing is to do no harm. How many broken destinies I know, hopelessly lost voices. After all, this is such weightless fragility - the human voice.

All that remains is to ask what would make her most happy right now.

“I miss Peter very much, I haven’t been home for so long.” If it were possible, I would pack up right now and fly away for at least two days.

- Is the house still there?

- And there too.

Biography

Selected repertoire

The singer's repertoire includes roles in Handel's operas ( Otto, Alcina), Mozart ( magical flute, The Marriage of Figaro, Abduction from the Seraglio), Bellini ( Puritans), Donizetti ( Don Pasquale, love potion, Lucia di Lammermoor), Rossini ( Chance makes a thief, Travel to Reims, or the Golden Lily Hotel, Maiden of the Lake, Othello, Silk staircase, Sigismund, Semiramis), Wagner ( Parsifal, Siegfried), Verdi ( Rigoletto), Offenbach ( Tales of Hoffmann), Johann Strauss ( Bat), Lortzing ( The king and the carpenter), Stravinsky ( A Rake's Adventures, Nightingale) and others. Marfa (“The Tsar’s Bride” - La Scala 2014).

Creative collaboration

She has worked with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Richard Boning, Alberto Zedda, Lorin Maazel, Yuri Temirkanov, Zubin Mehta, Mark Minkowski, Renato Palumbo, Claudio Scimone and others. In December 2011, Peretyatko sang a duet with Jose Carreras during his Christmas concert in Moscow .

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Notes

Links

• (German) , (English) , (French)
• - Sobaka.ru, June 2, 2014
• Dudin V.// Play from the beginning. Da capo al fine: Newspaper. - M., 2013. - No. 3 (108). - P. 9.

An excerpt characterizing Peretyatko, Olga Aleksandrovna

If we assume, as historians do, that great people lead humanity to achieve certain goals, which consist either in the greatness of Russia or France, or in the balance of Europe, or in spreading the ideas of revolution, or in general progress, or whatever it may be, it is impossible to explain the phenomena of history without the concepts of chance and genius.

Administrators of the most famous opera houses around the world spent a long time learning to correctly pronounce her funny Ukrainian surname. And they learned - the work schedule of the Russian opera star is scheduled several years in advance: Olga Peretyatko is one of the most sought-after opera singers.

She is a rare combination of youth and beauty, hard work, strong character and a unique soprano.

On stage since age 15

Olga Aleksandrovna Peretyatko is a native St. Petersburger, born on May 21, 1980 in the city also called Leningrad. Her father is a baritone, sings in the choir of the Mariinsky Theater, so from early childhood he introduced his daughter to music. The first musical performance that the future opera singer Olga Peretyatko listened to at the age of 3 was “Faust”.

Soon little Olya sang everywhere - both at school and at home, and then she herself began to appear on the stage of the famous Mariinsky Theater as part of the children's choir. She graduated with honors from the Music School at the N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory with a degree in choral conducting. Olga Peretyatko was unable to enter the vocal department of the conservatory, but she did not stop singing.

First teacher

Gogolevskaya performs wonderfully as a soprano on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater, where she works, and has taken part in productions of other theaters. Connoisseurs appreciate the strength and special timbre of her voice, which they call Wagnerian - it is in the operas of this composer that it is especially expressive. She is also respected for another type of creative activity - she leads a vocal class at the People's Philharmonic, which is open in the Vyborg Palace of Culture in St. Petersburg. Olga Peretyatko was also her student.

After listening to the future star, she advised changing the direction of voice development - instead of mezzo-soprano, strive for a higher and lighter register. After the initial training in singing technique, Larisa Anatolyevna recommended that the student continue her studies. With the advent of the new century, Olga Peretyatko entered the Hans Eisler High School of Music in Berlin. She came to the German capital as a tourist, and the decision to undergo an initial audition with a vocal professor was spontaneous, but successful.

The beginning of a dizzying career

In Berlin, the next leading teacher for Olga was the Canadian singer Brenda Mitchell. Classes and consultations with her and other masters continue to this day. Singer Olga Peretyatko began performing after her third year of study in Berlin, after successfully participating in a number of international vocal competitions. The most significant was the Operalia, held under the patronage of the great Placido Domingo in Paris.

She performed her first roles on the stages of the Deutsche Oper in Berlin and the Hamburg State Opera, in operas by Handel and Mozart. The young singer’s performance in the play “Journey to Reims” at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro (Italy) in 2006 attracted the attention of the world’s leading opera directors and theater managers, and offers of cooperation poured in from all sides.

The stage is the whole world

The singer's career quickly gained momentum, typical of a global superstar. In her arsenal, the best classical roles for soprano are complemented by works from different countries. Among them are Stravinsky's opera The Nightingale, staged in Toronto, New York, Lyon and Amsterdam; she sang the role of Adina from Donizetti’s opera “L’elisir d’amore” at the Lille Opera and at the Easter Festival in Baden-Baden; She sang Gilda from Verdi's Rigoletto at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, as well as in Madrid, Vienna, Paris, Berlin and New York.

Among those with whom the singer collaborates are the greatest personalities from the world of music. She shared the stage with Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Rolando Villazon and other vocal stars. She sang to the music of orchestras conducted by the legendary Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Mark Minkowski, Lorinn Maazel. The performances in which the singer participated were directed by the famous Claudia Solti, Bartlett Sher, Richard Eyre and others.

Personal life

The Italian city of Pariso is an important place for the singer. Success at the festival held there played an important role in launching her brilliant career. Giacomo Rossini, to whom this festival of music is dedicated, is the author of many operas in which Olga Peretyatko sings brilliantly. Her husband, Michele Mariotti, a conductor in demand by many theaters on the planet, was born in this city, and this is where they met.

The wedding also took place in Parisot in 2012. Young celebrities live in Berlin, but their busy work schedule does not allow them to be together in their home. Only when they happen to work on the same project do they get the opportunity to spend more time together. Such an opportunity was the performance of “The Puritans” at the New York Metropolitan Opera, restored in the spring of 2014. In the previous version, the part of Elvira was sung by Joanne Sutherland, whom Peretyatko considers one of his idols.

Star of a new generation

Olga Peretyatko, whose biography as a singer began in the 21st century, is distinguished by a rare combination of qualities that make her a star of a new level. This is a unique voice and an excellent international vocal school, passionate emotionality and artistic talent. In addition, he speaks several European languages ​​and has a professional attitude towards his own visual image. This is the key to today's and future creative success.

– Please, first tell us about yourself: where were you born, where did you study, who were among your first teachers and mentors?

– I was born in St. Petersburg. My father is also a singer, a member of the Mariinsky Theater choir, but my predisposition to the profession was indicated only in general terms: from childhood, I comprehended music through mastering the piano and conducting-choral specialties - and my parents initially pinned their hopes on me precisely in this area. After 9th grade, I entered the conducting and choral department of the School of Music at the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory (I was 15 years old then - and it was too early to think about vocals). The four years of college became a very unclear period in my musical biography: it was completely unclear that a career as a singer would ultimately await me, because we all sang in the choir and had slightly different musical priorities. I somehow lost faith in myself; I always sang as a second alto. I started studying as a mezzo-soprano, or at least it was assumed that this was so. I spoke low, as I do now, and knew how to sing low notes, in a word, I was a “big girl” - so why shouldn’t she be a mezzo-soprano! The situation was very interesting, but maybe this was good, because if I had sung as the first soprano in the choir, perhaps my third octave would not have opened later...

I started studying vocals at the age of 20, quite late. I found a private teacher, soprano soloist of the Mariinsky Theater Larisa Gogolevskaya. She listened to me and agreed to study, but her first question was: “Who told you, my girl, that you are a mezzo?” And so we began to master ancient French and Italian arias, classic examples of the song genre, and about a year and a half later it so happened that I went to Berlin to visit friends. My friend, with whom I stayed, was a violinist from the conservatory. It was he who first said, why don’t I audition there too, since I’m already purposefully studying vocals. No sooner said than done: no matter what you think about, trying is not torture. They started calling and found one single teacher from the professorship of the Berlin Conservatory (Hochschule fuer Musik Hanns Eisler), who had not left anywhere in the summer off-season of August. She agreed to listen to me as a free one-time consultation. Her verdict said that there was vocal material, and quite good, and, if I decided, to come in February, since they have receptions twice a year.

Inspired, I returned home. I began to consult with Larisa Anatolyevna on what to do, to which I received the answer that there was nothing to think about - I had to prepare a program and apply! The decision was made, but in St. Petersburg I continued my studies at the conducting and choral department of the conservatory. And now I have two higher education diplomas. In June of this year, an important event finally happened, which had been postponed for a long time because there was a lot of work: in Berlin I received a second diploma - a diploma of higher vocal education.

But we got ahead of ourselves. So, having prepared the entrance program, I went to Berlin and applied to only this one conservatory. Now I understand that it was very strange on my part: I see perfectly well how everything is happening now, people come with suitcases, this morning they sang here, in the evening there, tomorrow in a third city, and so on all over Germany, because the chances of admission are extremely low due to very high competition. I had the same mindset as in Italy: either everything or nothing. But I was accepted - and from that moment a different life began for me. I found the teacher completely by accident, based on language, since at that time I did not speak German at all. We met in the corridor, she recognized me, said that she remembered my speech: it was a teacher who was part of the selection committee. She introduced herself as Professor Brenda Mitchell. How interesting, I thought then, it was her class that I wanted to get into, counting on the fact that a person with that last name would definitely speak English. She invited me to a trial lesson, saying that if I liked it, I could write an application. I remember that I sang Mozart’s “Hallelujah” - and I was so impressed by what she did with me in half an hour in terms of vocal technique that the choice was a foregone conclusion. I still continue to take lessons from her, sometimes she comes to my premieres. I won’t lie, I’m very pleased with this – and I really appreciate it.

– Thank you for your very detailed answer to my first question, which seems very important to me, because good singers start with good teachers. And to this day, when you already have a fairly solid track record of engagements around the world, you spend most of your time in Germany, practically living here. Tell me, what kind of relationship did you have with the Hamburg Opera in the early stages of your singing career?

– It was an opera studio, a youth program at this theater. Formally, we, its participants, were considered soloists, since we sang a wide variety of supporting roles, including the smallest ones, on the same stage with the leading soloists. I remember that twice the main parties trusted me, which was my undoubted personal achievement, but still these were not the parties I dreamed of. The alliance with the Hamburg Opera lasted two seasons, from 2005 to 2007. And after that I moved into a state of independent creative swimming, becoming a free artist.

– Did participation in competitions play any particularly significant role for you personally in terms of moving up the international vocal ladder?

– In my case, practically nothing, except that it gave me the opportunity to travel without thinking about where to get money. This is very important, because for the number of auditions that I sang in 2006 - 2007, crazy amounts of money were spent on travel expenses and accommodation. Of course, victories (second prizes) at two international vocal competitions helped a lot financially: in 2006 at the “Debut” competition in Bad Mergentheim (Germany) and in 2007 at the Placido Domingo “Operalia” competition in Paris. Unlike the famous “Operalia”, the “Debut” competition is still very young: this year it is held for only the sixth time, but its prize fund is very substantial. Of course, many creative contacts were made back in Hamburg, mainly on my personal initiative. I came to literally every conductor and asked permission to sing. And it bore fruit. In the same way, Domingo invited me to his Operalia, since I approached him after the rehearsal of his gala concert in Hamburg and said: “Maestro, I want to sing for you!” Domingo listened to me for half an hour, asked everything he could about me and asked if I would like to participate in his Operalia. Naturally, there could only be one answer to this question...

– Let me add two more, in my opinion, interesting and important names from among the competitions in which you won and which were simply not mentioned: the Ferruccio Tagliavini International Competition in Deutschlandsberg, Austria, near Graz, whose jury included Joan Sutherland and Vittorio Terranova (2004), and the International Bel Canto Prize in Bad Wildbad, Germany (2005). We are talking to you now in Pesaro, in the midst of the XXX Rossini Festival, in which you are taking part - and its brand has long been famous throughout the world. Meanwhile, another festival is held annually in Bad Wildbad, which is called “Rossini in Wildbad” and with which you also have creative ties. Tell us a little about the Rossini mini-festival and the Prix Bel Canto in Bad Wildbad.

– Indeed, this is a very small festival, the brainchild of one intendant Jochen Schoenleber, who invented it, supports it and does everything in his power to make the festival flourish. An important role in this is played by his personal connections with the Naxos record label, so all festival products are immediately recorded and quite regularly released to the audio music market. This means that everyone strives to sing there, since a record in the track record of any singer is an incredibly important thing. Bad Wildbad itself is a very small town, after a month and a half spent there you simply begin to die of boredom: only a forest, a picturesque river and two streets with three houses (!) - there is nothing else there...

The festival takes place every year in July – and on its poster you can find the names of not only Rossini’s operas. I sang here for the first time in 2005. It was a small part of Tamiri in the production of Meyerbeer's Babylon under the direction of Richard Boning, as a result of which my first recording on CD appeared. Then here – this was already a special recording project of the festival – in the fall of 2006, with a break from the main summer program, two concert performances of Rossini’s opera “The Virgin of the Lake” took place under the direction of Alberto Zedda, where I sang the small part of Albina. My wonderful partners were Maxim Mironov (Jacob V / Uberto), Sonia Ganassi (Elena), Marianna Pizzolato (Malcolm) and Ferdinand von Bothmer (Rodrigo). This recording, naturally, is not a studio recording, but the variations were invented by the maestro literally ten minutes before the start of the first concert: both mine and Pizzolato’s suddenly changed the cadences of the parts. In general, everything that is done with Rossini in Italy usually happens very spontaneously, but at that moment the same sweet atmosphere was preserved beyond its borders - and this had its own “special charm”!

I’ll deviate slightly from your question by also mentioning that in May 2008, with Maestro Zedda, I had another interesting concert project in Piacenza and Parma - Rossini’s cantata “The Death of Dido” for solo female voice, male choir and orchestra. It has a fairly large and developed vocal part - and I had great pleasure in performing this music with the orchestra and choir of the Arturo Toscanini Foundation.

As for the competition in Bad Wildbad, I will say it very briefly. Here, at the small Rossini festival, there is also its own small singing academy. And after my, again, small game with Richard Boning, I stayed for classes at this summer school, during which I attended Raul Jimenez’s master classes. We studied for two weeks, after which there was a final concert, also known as a competition, as a result of which I won the Bel Canto Prize. That, in fact, is the whole story...

– Therefore, the time has come to return from Bad Wildbad to Pesaro, but not to 2009, but to 2006, in which you made your debut in the youth program in Rossini’s opera “Journey to Reims.” And immediately the question: what did Accademia Rossiniana give you as a singer, as a creative person? How is the learning process structured in it? What were your first and perhaps most vivid moments with Maestro Zedda?

– There were a lot of them! I first met the maestro in Bad Wildbad in 2005, where I sang him Berenice’s aria from Rossini’s opera “Chance Makes a Thief.” The next year he invited me to Accademia Rossiniana, which I was extremely happy about, since I had always heard extremely good reviews about it. Many of the soloists singing here came from the Academy. In 2006, I came to Pesaro for the first time, at first it was very difficult, since at that time I also did not know the Italian language: what I was taught at the conservatory and what I had to face in life turned out to be very distant substances. Understanding almost everything, it was hard to start speaking on my own, but gradually I also gained conversational practice, albeit at an elementary level at first. We had two weeks of classes. Master classes were given by various teachers, including Alberto Zedda. We were in the premises of the Teatro Sperimentale from ten in the morning until ten in the evening: for us it was a school of life - beyond words!

From ten to two there was a master class with Maestro Zedda, from four to seven there were other classes or lectures on makeup, music, theater, the history of opera and even Italian cinema, in a word, a complete intellectual course for the “young vocalist.” And after that, they certainly attended rehearsals, and the importance of this method of “immersion in the profession” is simply difficult to overestimate! Here I met Maxim Mironov, who that season was engaged to play the role of Lindoro in “An Italian in Algiers” and sang along with Marianna Pizzolato, who, by the way, is taking part in the current festival and, like Maxim Mironov, at one time passed through the Accademia Rossiniana. That same summer we also met Masha Gortsevskaya, who ended up in Pesaro through the same scheme. I'm still friends with both of them.

The most interesting thing began then. After two weeks of intensive training, we sang the final “graduation” concert, based on the results of which the lineups for the youth “Journey to Reims” are formed. And we were told even before the start of classes: learn all the games! As a coloratura soprano, I naturally chose the part of Countess Folville, learned it and came with it to Pesaro. But after the Academy, Maestro Zedda suddenly said, why don’t I also sing Corinna. I literally learned this part here in five days: it was terrible stress, so much so that I turned gray. Jokes aside, I actually discovered four gray hairs at once! Imagine, you make your debut in Italy in one coloratura role, and three days later you have to go on stage in another lyrical role - and you start to really panic... But she sang, everything went well. And now I can confidently say that after Accademia Rossiniana you will no longer be afraid of anything! She gave me an incredible amount! I repeat once again that this was a school of life, and I am immensely grateful to fate that I went through it.

– The success of the double debut immediately brought me an engagement to play the role of Desdemona in the next festival year. This was also a kind of stress, since such offers are not refused, but the whole point is that Rossini wrote this part for Colbran, and in the traditions of modern performance in Italy it is often performed by high mezzo, transitional voices. I told the maestro, if you trust me, I will sing, but I will sing in my own voice, and not imitate Marilyn Horne or anyone else. There were a lot of auditions and approvals until I was finally confirmed in Olga Peretyatko’s own voice. I also flew to audition for Ernesto Palacio in Bergamo! Siamo in Italia: since Flores himself was involved in the production - in the role of Rodrigo - then his impresario personally selected almost the entire cast of the play for his favorite! Everything was taken into account, including even height! Two days later I received a contract... Everything was decided in December 2006. Then we also worked with Maestro Zedda in Berlin, where he came to implement another of his projects at the Deutsche Oper, and so gradually we prepared the entire part with him.

– Please share your impressions of “Othello” 2007 at the Rossini Festival, and about your colleagues on stage. On the one hand, Rodrigo-Flores, the hope of modern world tenors, on the other hand, Othello-Kunde, one of the outstanding tenors of the 20th century, alas, at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, ending his brilliant career, but, nevertheless, taking part in this festival...

– Of course, there were a lot of different things, but I perceive every event in my life as a lesson. This lesson was especially interesting, and the on-stage communication with colleagues was very fruitful. But you forgot, there was also Chris Merritt in the role of Iago, an even older “royal lion”, so to speak...

– I was present at the third performance, and together with Othello-Kunde I had another Iago - Jose Manuel Zapata...

– Yes, Merritt sang only the first performance, and in the second, only once, and Othello was different - Ferdinand von Bothmer. The succession of compositions was due to the fact that Giuseppe Figlianoti, who was originally planned to play the part of Othello, was unable to perform for health reasons. And then Kunde was urgently called in, and Bothmer was officially on insurance, including during the rehearsal period, until Kunde arrived and learned his part. The second performance after the premiere with Kunde for Bothmer was planned from the very beginning. Kunde helped me in every possible way. He is experienced, he is friendly, he gave a lot of small professional advice - and they all worked flawlessly. Great artist and generous person! He was amazing to work with! And I can only say the best about all my colleagues in that old performance. The result we showed was due to the fact that everyone was in their place. Othello-Kunde was a real wounded beast, a rebellious and vulnerable general, he created an amazingly strong image - and no one on stage had any doubt that he was the protagonist.

Flores arrived later, as he had previously recorded “Somnambula” with Bartoli. In 2007 she was at all festival productions, including our “Othello”. She constantly comes here, watches, listens, but does not sing. To be precise, she sang here only once in 1988. This was the role of Lucilla in the first festival production of The Silk Staircase. Luciana Serra sang Julia. I saw that performance in the recording: a very interesting musical production! As for “Othello,” Flores quickly got used to this very simple production, in which they constantly threw me around as best they could: I sang the entire performance sitting or lying on the floor, because there was no furniture on the stage. Flores was great, despite his habit of reshaping everything to suit himself. Just as Bartoli has absolutely established herself in her musical status and makes “her own Rossini,” so Flores in our performance easily and gracefully occupied her individual stylistically impeccable creative niche.

– I assure you that you, too, occupied your individual niche in that performance with an amazing mastery of the style of Italian opera bel canto. From the point of view of vocal texture, your voice is light and flighty, but, nevertheless, in your interpretation of the part of Desdemona, a hidden, internal drama was clearly felt. And it was simply amazing!

– Thank you, I am very impressed by your remark that the drama was internal, because, clearly realizing my own capabilities, I understood that it was impossible to give drama with my voice, otherwise it would be forcing, there would be an incorrect, distorted vocal message. And I really tried to create the image of Desdemona, remaining myself, enhancing the internal dramatic fullness of the role through the most focused, most clear and collected sound. And I’m glad that I apparently succeeded...

– Now tell me why Chris Merritt left the race after the premiere: because of problems with his voice?

– No, he sang the premiere at a good professional level, but he had a problem with his leg, and diabetes, against the backdrop of the terrible heat, which, however, was common in Italy at that time, simply aggravated his general poor health. The problem was also that he was once a “mountain man”, but now he had lost a lot of weight. At first I simply didn’t recognize him until Ferdinand von Bothmer brought me to him and introduced us to each other. Losing half of my body weight and maintaining my voice by rebuilding my entire vocal technique was phenomenal! I had never heard him live before, only in recordings, so meeting him in the play was another great experience for me! You know, he appeared in my mind like a wise old turtle, immediately telling me “Welcome to Italy!” and warning about possible “interesting things”, which naturally began to happen, since we are in Italy and the name of the director of the play is Gian-Carlo del Monaco... We talked with him a lot, he talked about his life, about his career. I literally absorbed every word he said - and I admit, such communications with senior colleagues of such rank are truly worth a lot!

– So, finally, we move to the present, to 2009. This season in Pesaro you continue to master Rossini’s comic repertoire, which began in 2006 with the youth “Journey to Reims”. Now you are Julia in “The Silk Staircase” - and the first half of the festival series of this production has already been played. Please share your impressions of this work.

– A completely different role, my debut as Julia... Thank God, this time I’m not dying. Finally! And in general, everything I’ve been singing lately is happening for the first time, since now I’m in the active phase of accumulating my own repertoire. Julia’s part is soprano – and there were no problems with her choice: definitely mine! If you study the clavier, then this is an ordinary Rossini role, into which you still need to bring something of your own, something special, exactly what is called interpretation. I am very, very glad that the director of “The Silk Staircase” is Damiano Michieletto, who two years ago here at the festival surprised everyone with a grandiose production of “The Thieving Magpie” with water on stage. Now on the stage there is a huge mirror and the interior of an apartment... The man’s imagination is somehow unimaginable! Everything is absolutely modern, compact and presented in a single scenographic block [set design and costumes - Paolo Fantin; my note – I.K.].

Outwardly, everything is very nice: rooms without walls, furniture, household appliances, doors through which we walk in this staged space... On the floor is a real building plan of the home with the names of the rooms: pranzo, letto, bagno [Italian. dining room, bedroom, bathroom; my note – I.K.] and so on. And in the inclined mirror-screen, suspended on the backdrop under the grates, the viewer sees in the correct proportions a virtual reflection of reality, a graphic view of the apartment... And in our performance we certainly adhere to all this, even the doors open exactly as shown on the plan. From the point of view of coordinating stage behavior, great, almost cinematic efforts were required from us. In addition, a DVD release of this performance is planned, so we have thoroughly thought out and worked out everything: looks, facial expressions, mise-en-scène.

The directors added the final touches to their plan even at the stage of orchestral rehearsals, since some adjustments were required in relation to the acoustic aspects of the interaction between the singers and the orchestra. But working with Damiano Michieletto was amazing! He is young, he is very talented, he clearly knows what he wants from an artist. I think he will take his rightful place in the director's firmament. His direction is smart: despite its modernity, both in terms of scenography and costumes, there is not a drop of vulgarity in it. This is the same Rossini who should entertain the audience: there is so much champagne, so much mood! This performance is a very significant positive example. And I’m very glad that our production is just like that – fun!

Initially, my participation in the current festival was planned as Amenaide in the “semi-stage” production of Rossini’s “Tancred”. However, instead of it, the “Silk Staircase” unexpectedly appeared, but in the end, everything that turned out so well for me this time in Pesaro pleases me incomparably more.

– Let’s now talk about your lyric-coloratura and lyrical heroines in retrospective and perspective plans. What other parts have you already mastered or are just about to appear in your repertoire?

– From what I’m singing now, this is Suzanne (“The Marriage of Figaro”), Blondchen (“The Abduction from the Seraglio”). Of course, there’s also the part of Constance, but we’ll have to wait with that for now, because all sopranos start with Blondchen. While you are young, you should sing Blondchen! For example, in April next year a new production by Christophe Loy is expected at the Barcelona Liceu, in which I will sing Blondchen, and Diana Damrau will sing Constanza. Damrau sang Blondchen for a very long time until she internally reached that professional feeling that it was time to move on to Constanta. But it's a good school. Blondchen’s part is very rewarding, in part even extreme: it has an “E” at the top and a “B-flat” at the bottom, which you must take so that everything is on the level, everything is accurately voiced. The role is very interesting. I have already sung it in Munich, but after Barcelona I will sing three more performances there.

Of course, I’m also looking at the bel canto repertoire: Adina in “Elisir of Love,” which is scheduled to debut in Lille, France, in a year; to Juliet in Capulet and the Montagues, which is scheduled for 2011. This will happen in Munich on the stage of the Bavarian State Opera, and my partner in the role of Romeo should be Veselina Kazarova. I sing and Adele in “Die Fledermaus”: a series of performances have already taken place in Lyon. Soon I’m going to take part in a gala concert with maestro Lorin Maazel. When mentioning the name of this outstanding conductor, one cannot help but remember that I had the opportunity to go through all sorts of supporting roles. One of them is the Voice from Heaven in Don Carlos. The offer came before Operalia and was the result of auditions I organized. Maazel’s name predetermined my agreement - and meeting him turned out to be another unforgettable lesson for me!

And “Operalia” was in the same 2007 - and immediately after it I went to Pesaro to rehearse “Othello”. By the way, for February 2010 I am planning another appeal to Rossini’s “Othello” - four performances on the stage of the Lausanne Opera. I sang and will continue to sing Anne Truelove in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress. At the moment I’m learning his “Nightingale” [by the time the interview was published, the premiere series of the production of this opera with the participation of Olga Peretyatko was held with phenomenal success on the stage of the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto: the excitement around the event was so great that, at the request of the public, the organizers had to arrange even an additional matinee; my note – I.K.].

– What does the role of Verdi’s Gilda mean to you?

– I think this will be my game for the ages! To date, I have contacted her three times already. I must say, I was very lucky with my “dads.” My first “father” was Juan Pons, then on the stage of the Bologna Opera - Leo Nucci. Now I am constantly invited to Italy to sing Gilda, which is especially pleasant and valuable to me, since here they have begun to accept you as one of their own. Now, for example, the question is being decided whether I will sing it at La Fenice or not, because in Italy there is such a “mysterious” concept as a “project”, when everything is carried out almost before the premiere, and the casts are formed somehow in a completely incomprehensible way at a completely incomprehensible time frame...

– In my opinion, this is very reminiscent of Russia...

– I don’t know, in Russia I didn’t sing in opera, I can’t say anything, but in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, after three years you already know what you will sing and with whom. So, Gilda’s part is very convenient for me, but I’ve heard a lot, and all my colleagues say that Gilda’s part is complex, that it’s difficult to sing. I don’t know: it fit my voice very easily, and I clearly understood that it was absolutely mine. There are no questions with Zerbinetta’s part: I will definitely sing it, there are already promising agreements. I have been eyeing Zerbinetta for a very long time, having sung it for the first time at the conservatory in Berlin (Hochschule) and waiting all this time for me to finally “ripen” to the theater. Now we can say that this happened at the level of very specific plans.

– Now, please, make a retrospective of the conductors with whom you had the opportunity to work, and share your impressions of working with them.

– I was lucky, of course, even starting with the Hamburg Opera. A woman conductor from Australia, Simone Young, who has now had a brilliant career, came there as general director and chief conductor when I arrived there. But if you start to remember and list the names, sometimes you can’t even believe it, because these are all outstanding musicians, impressive personalities: Richard Boning, Alberto Zedda, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim... Each of them had something to learn! And it's unforgettable! I continue further. Ivor Bolton, with whom I have already sung Blondchen and will sing again in Barcelona. Alessandro de Marchi, with whom we did Coronazio Poppea in Hamburg. Very different styles, very different conducting schools... The magnificent Claudio Scimone, with whom I sing “The Silk Staircase” here in Pesaro this year. Renato Palumbo, who conducted Othello at the festival in 2007. I still remember him with such gratitude! Frederic Chaslan: I sang “The Rake’s Progress” with him in Paris. Mark Minkowski: again in Paris I did the part of Suzanne with him. This was the first time in my practice when a conductor experimented with cadenzas in a Mozart part, destroying established canons. At the same time, I simply cannot help but say what an amazing orchestra he had, what the highest quality of the sound! And, of course, we must name the legendary man Bruno Bartoletti, with whom I made Gilda in Bologna.

A small part of the Wagnerian repertoire, Voice of the Forest Bird in Siegfried, is associated with the name of Zubin Mehta, with whom I sang in Valencia in 2008. And I met Daniel Barenboim at the production of Parsifal in the guise of the Flower Girl. This happened a year earlier, at the same time as Operalia. The first round of the competition in Paris - then she traveled by night train to Berlin, where she sang the Flower Girl with Barenboim. On the same day - or rather, night - I went to Paris by night train and sang the semi-final. The next day I went to Berlin again and sang the Flower Girl there again. Then I went to the Operalia final, received my second prize there, and after that (we already talked about this) straight from there to Pesaro! And all this was incredibly interesting!

– And my last question will again concern the name of the conductor. It is not difficult to guess that since we are now in Pesaro, I again mean Maestro Zedda. Tell me, what did he give you personally in professional and creative terms?

– As he says, in my opinion, it is very correct that technique is control, and it’s all about interpretation. If you only sing the notes indicated in Rossini's clavier, nothing good will come out, that is, the singer must bring his own personality. To do this, Rossini gives him complete freedom of action. In the Mozart repertoire you feel a bit like an instrument, where a step to the left, a step to the right is not at all welcomed, cadenzas that violate the canons are absolutely unthinkable there. Zedda says this: “You must always bring yourself!” He once said such an amazing phrase: “Every potato can sing to Puccini, if, of course, it has the material for this, because Puccini put absolutely everything into his dramaturgy - and all people have been crying in the same places for already hundreds of years." And at least from my own experience, I know that in “La Bohème” everyone certainly cries at the chord when Mimi dies - it chills me every time!

But Rossini leaves complete freedom not only to the singer, but also to the listener, who retains the right to choose who is considered, let’s say, a good or a bad hero. Therefore, it is important for a singer not only to sing, but also to think - this is what gives the prospect of creativity. This is important - and this is what Maestro Zedda teaches. As for style and voice, he always writes amazing cadences just for your voice. And this is also very important. His ear as a vocal teacher is very good at hearing what sounds good and what sounds bad. And then some things change, some are tried again. Let’s say he can say: “You won’t be able to do it like Darina Takova, sing differently, sing in your own way, so that you definitely express yourself.” However, for any type of voice, light or heavy, there must be unconditional ease of sound management and coloratura. And the main thing is not to stop thinking. And without this, whether in Rossini or in the quarry - nowhere!

Igor Koryabin (interview and publication preparation)
Pesaro - Moscow

A new genre - Opera Ball - came to Moscow, to the Bolshoi Theater on October 28, 2014. In European opera houses such balls are held annually.

There is a whole industry for holding such events. For example, at the Vienna Opera, during the Opera Ball, a floor is installed on top of the seats in the auditorium, the boxes are decorated with fresh flowers, and all recreation is given to the guests. There is also a scenario according to which the event takes place.

This is the second Opera Ball at the Bolshoi Theater over the past year, dedicated to the anniversary of the great Elena Obraztsova. The poster was decorated with the names of the most famous singers of our time. This is Anna Netrebko, and Maria Guleghina, and Dinara Aliyeva, and Dmitry Hvorostovsky, and Jose Cura, and the legendary Bruno Pratico, and Ekaterina Syurina, and Yulia Lezhneva and many others. On stage as the Countess from the opera “The Queen of Spades” by P.I. Elena Obraztsova herself appeared at Tchaikovsky, opening the Opera Ball.

Among the brilliant names listed on the Opera Ball poster, a special place belongs to soprano Olga Peretyatko. Listening to this singer is always incredibly interesting. From the first moment of her appearance on stage, a performer of incredible charm appeared before the viewer, joyful, radiating light. Yes, these are the best moments of her life when she is on stage! The stage is a place where the singer is truly happy and generously gives us, the audience, the powerful power of her talent!

The expectations of the singer's many fans were not disappointed. Olga Peretyatko with incredible freedom, with a brilliance that only she can access, performed Olympia’s verses from Jacques Offenbach’s opera “The Tales of Hoffmann,” causing a unanimous burst of applause from the Bolshoi Theater hall.

In the second part of the concert, the singer appeared in the image of the romantic Manon from Jules Massenet’s opera “Manon”. Manon's gavotte was interrupted several times by applause from the admiring audience. Great luck to hear soprano Olga Peretyatko live and even on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater! The majestic, luxurious hall of the Bolshoi Theater received the singer, giving her a worthy place in its precious frame.

The first appearance of soprano Olga Peretyatko in Moscow this year was in September and it happened on the stage of the KZCh.

The beginning of the music season this fall was marked by anticipation for the opening of the VI RNO Festival, led by maestro Mikhail Pletnev. The festival program included Gioachino Rossini's opera Tancred.

At the conductor's stand was Maestro Alberto Zedda himself, the famous researcher and interpreter of the works of the great Rossini. The part of Amenaide was performed by the brilliant soprano Olga Peretyatko, our compatriot. The singer lives a busy schedule of performances on the most famous opera stages in the world. However, it happens both in Moscow and in his native St. Petersburg.

Olga Peretyatko, owner of a unique soprano, comes from St. Petersburg. Initial musical education shaped the future singer as a choir conductor. In addition, Olga sang in the children's choir of the Mariinsky Theater. She received her second higher musical education in solo singing in Berlin, graduating from the Hans Eisler High School of Music.

Her career was promoted by top awards at prestigious vocal competitions, the Bel Canto Academy at the Rossini Festival in Italy, numerous master classes and a two-year internship at the Hamburg State Opera. Currently, the singer performs on the world's most prestigious opera stages, participating in numerous theatrical projects.

If you asked Olga when she started singing, you would hear in response that she had always sung for as long as she could remember. At school they asked her: “Olya, please sing!” And she sang.

For some reason, I remember this request to Olga before she went on stage, now a world-famous singer. According to the singer, it can be difficult for her to wait to go on stage, her energy is so concentrated. And indeed, when she comes out to the audience, Olga is tense, like a well-stretched steel string. And the audience freezes reverently, as if asking: “Olya! Please sing!” And Olga Peretyatko, coloratura soprano, a star incredibly in demand on the best opera stages in the world, sings!

Everyone who loves and listens to singing and opera has their own guidelines in choosing certain voices or performers. According to many lovers and connoisseurs of opera singing, one of the signs of the special impact of the human voice on the listener is a lump in the throat, or even tears flowing. Most importantly, thoughts come about what a miracle this is - beautiful singing, what a wonderful voice it sounds!

I would like to thank the Creator for the fact that He does not leave us without His protection, does not allow our souls to perish! At such moments you really feel the connection with the Almighty!

For the first time, Olga Peretyatko’s singing in the Great Hall of the Conservatory in 2011 in Moscow was imprinted in my memory, or, as they say, “hooked.” This was the final concert of the Crescendo festival, which was conducted by the wonderful musician Denis Matsuev. In the second part, a very beautiful, light, graceful singer Olga Peretyatko appeared on stage. She performed Lucia's aria from Gaetano Donizetti's opera Lucia di Lamermoor.

It was not just a performance of an aria, but it was a mini-performance in which the heroine appeared in different states of her soul. The singer conveyed a whole range of emotions so vividly, so convincingly, with such faith in what she was telling us, that the audience believed her and responded.

The voice sounded freely in the beautiful hall of the conservatory, filling the entire space. The timbre of the voice, its beauty, and virtuoso vocal technique left no doubt that this was a miracle! I would like to note the incredibly noble, graceful movement of the singer. The performer demonstrated an exquisite manner of performance and impeccable taste, which is very rare. Of course, there was success and delight from the public!

Soprano Olga Peretyatko is often called a star. Still, not everyone, even a very good performer, can be awarded this title. Star rays should reach the viewer, should illuminate his soul. This is that precious “feedback” that is necessary not only for the viewer, but, probably, even more for the artist. The viewer feels this constant appeal of the singer Olga Peretyatko to him and is grateful to her for it.

The singer’s schedule is very busy, but “strange encounters” happen. This happened last April, 2013, when at the Vienna Opera, the day before the now very famous performance of the opera “Eugene Onegin”, G. Verdi’s opera “Rigoletto” was staged on the same stage. The opera was staged as part of the celebration of the anniversary of composer G. Verdi, which took place last year on almost all the world's opera stages. The role of Gilda was performed by Olga Peretyatko.

The production of the opera pleasantly surprised and pleased me. Beauty, grace and harmony reigned in the scenery and costumes. The performance of the parts was beyond praise! I thought this was the opera’s answer to the directors. After all, you can make a wonderful production without hurting the soul of the viewer.

The day after the performance of the opera “Rigoletto”, the opera by P.I. took place on the same stage. Tchaikovsky "Eugene Onegin". Our soprano heroine Olga Peretyatko was present in the hall as a spectator at the performance.

The singer kindly agreed to answer a few questions about her performance as Gilda and the resounding success of the opera “Eugene Onegin” on the stage of the Vienna Opera.

— You don’t often sing on the stage of the Vienna Opera. What determined your choice to sing in Rigoletto at the Vienna Opera?

– Gilda’s party has been pursuing me for a long time. This is probably the song I sang the most times. Therefore, I was not at all surprised that it was in the role of Gilda that the director of the Vienna Opera, Dominik Meyer, invited me to make my debut on this famous stage in 2009.

Many serious theaters plan their productions very far in advance. And finally, 2013 came. After a very positive reaction from the press and criticism to my performance in Rigoletto, I was offered several other roles, which makes me very happy. I will return to Vienna in the spring of 2015.

— How do you like this production of “Rigoletto” on the stage of the Vienna Opera?

– I love such traditional productions, where everything is as Verdi himself wanted and noted in the clavier. After all, he has a lot of notes there that are almost never followed. It was all there, as it probably was during the first performance of the opera. I felt like I was in a time machine. Nowadays, participating in 7-8 productions a year, it’s rare to see such attentive attention to detail.

— You were at the performance of P. I. Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin” at the Vienna Opera in April last year. What are your impressions?

– This was exactly the same example when a wonderful cast of singers is enough so that you can close your eyes and enjoy Tchaikovsky, forgetting about the delights of the director, who decided to pack all the well-known clichés about Russian people, including snow, vodka and bears, into 3 hours. I was very proud of how our guys took over the hall, and I’m glad for their, and therefore our, success!

Yes, I’m glad that our opinions and impressions coincide. After the performance of G. Rossini’s opera “Tancred” on the stage of the KZCh in Moscow on September 12 of this year, in which Olga Peretyatko participated with great success, she answered a few more of my questions.

— What is the most striking event for you over the past year in your creative life?

– Last season was generally very eventful, there were many important debuts: debut at the Salzburg Festival in the most complex role of Junia from Mozart’s opera “Lucia Silla”, “Rigoletto” at the Verona Arena, “The Tsar’s Bride” in Berlin and at La Scala in Milan, “The Puritans” "at the Metropolitan Opera. I can’t even single out just one thing. I’m just grateful to God for giving me the strength to adequately cope with all the assigned tasks, despite the pressure of audience expectations.

— How do you feel in such ancient plots, such as, for example, in the opera “Tancred” by G. Rossini?

– You can call them my specificity, since I quite often have to try on the roles of all kinds of noble persons from the unimaginable librettos of bel canto operas.

— Please tell us about your family.

– There is only one musician in my family – my dad, who still sings at the Mariinsky Theater, and it was he who pushed me to take up serious opera singing.

— How do you spend your leisure time, if you have it?

– I read a lot if I have to be alone. Sports and sauna help relieve stress. If I'm tired, I just need a change of environment and stay at home for a day or two, especially if my husband is not traveling. The house recharges its strength very quickly. We love inviting guests and cooking for them together. But this is the specificity of our profession, you need to feel at home everywhere and quickly get used to the new environment.

— What are your creative plans? Will you still sing in Moscow or St. Petersburg?

– In the near future there is a solo concert with the participation of Gindin, a wonderful pianist, first in Yekaterinburg on November 3, and then at the BZK in Moscow on December 7.

December 14 – at the St. Petersburg Philharmonic I will sing Britten’s vocal cycle under the baton of maestro Temirkanov.

And in Europe there will be operas by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti on the stages of Munich, Berlin, Naples, Vienna and Turin and my debut as Violetta, first in Lausanne, and at the end of May in the production of R. Villazon on the stage of the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.

Many thanks to Olga, a wonderful singer, for her detailed answers to questions. We wish her success in her work!

Lyudmila Krasnova